To play Doral you need to stay there on a pretty pricy package, especially since Donald Trump bought it in 2012. However, if you stay at Marriott's Villas, you have the ability to use their facilities like pool, spa, fitness center as well as play on any of the courses. Villas facilities are very nice right across the street. It is a Marriott Vacation Club property, mostly used by MVC owners. But sometimes rentals are available.

We traded our timeshare to stay at this resort in January 2013. The room was gorgeous, large, well appointed with a full kitchen, balcony, and comfortable bedroom and bath. One of the nicest rooms we've stayed in at a time share. The pool was nice, but there were not a lot of activities and not much in the way of food. We were staying here in order to visit our daughter who lived in downtown Miami and it was a convenient 20 minute expressway trip.
The front desk was extremely helpful in finding golf, movie, grocery, and shopping information for us. The only drawback is that they have no affiliation with the Doral golf courses.

My wife and I are New England innkeepers and were really looking forward to our Florida get away. We had a whole week to sit back and relax and chose the Villas at Doral for just that purpose.

Besides being perfectly located just a 20-30 minute drive outside of Miami and the Everglades and a quick 5 minute walk to the nearest public transport, the Villas themselves have a plethora of activities, all for no extra charge. Gas grills dot the property, the pool was large and the grounds were well stocked with activities like a large chess set, mini golf, shuffleboard, horseshoe, and cornhole. They also have a well stocked game room, board games and gym. The gym has all the equipment that you'd need and it's all up-to-date.

Though the local market and restaurants were just a short drive away, they have a well stocked "grocery store" on site as well as a lunch/early dinner restaurant. We could have just stayed there the whole time, and almost did! They also have a lot of activities available throughout the week, some for an extra (and reasonable) charge, most for free. We did the everglades tour and highly recommend it. Be sure to ask the front desk if you have any questions about what to do or where to go, they are knowledgeable and happy to help.

As for the rooms. They were very clean and very well stocked with everything you would need. From dishes to pots and pans to cleaning supplies. The wifi is free and fast enough to stream movies. They have all the cable channels you'd need, including multiple HBO channels. Finally, the beds were comfortable and the showers and soaking tub were perfect.

Yes, the resort is in the flight path of the airport and yes you can hear the planes. Mostly they're in the middle of the day anyway and seem to quite down at night. Plus, when you're in your room it's really not bad at all. The only time I found it to be annoying was when my wife and I were reading to each other on our outdoor porch. But, I can hardly fault Marriott for the airport's flight path. If you're a light sleeper or just easily bothered by something like that, keep it in mind.

So, you may ask, did we get the relaxing getaway that we were hoping for? Yes! A large part due to the Villas at Doral.

Visited in January 2013. Very nice property offering large pool, hot tub, cabanas and pathways. Rented 2 bdrm villa on 3rd floor, equipped with separate living and dining areas, fully equipped kitchen with tableware and cookware, private balconies, 1st larger bedroom with king bed, garden tab, separate shower. 2nd smaller bedroom with queen size bed, sofabed and separate standard bathroom, nicely appointed furniture and very clean. Free parking, free Wi-Fi and gated community. No morning breakfast served, but offering from 7PM wine and cheese. For breakfast (if you have a car) there is close by (5 mins drive) Panera Bread and Starbucks. Many restaurants within 5-10 mins drive. However not much to do immediately outside the resort being kind of stuck in business area of Doral.

About 15-20 mins drive to Miami Beach (Art Deco district and Espanola Way), 10 mins to MIA Airport, 15 mins to Coconut Grove shopping and 20+ mins to Key Biscayne State Park. Recomending to visit Miami Beacxh for dinner and beach, Key Biscayne State Park ($8 per vehicle charge) for secluded beach and picnic, or Light House visit. Miami Marina (Downtown), Coconut Grove for shopping, Biscayne Bay for Aquarium.